They’re already born, but they might not know it yet. A video of a unique bath is offering an amazing look at what life must like for twins in the womb, with the babies cuddling and embracing as if they were still in their mom’s belly.
The newborns cling to each other as they float in a basin full of water, with adult hands gently cradling and supporting their tiny bodies. At one point, water is carefully poured over their foreheads and eyes, while their noses and mouths stay above the surface so they can breathe comfortably.
The bathing technique, called the Thalasso Baby Bath, was invented by Sonia Rochel, a maternity nurse in Paris, France. The twins in the video, a boy and a girl, were just a few days old when they experienced the bath, she told TODAY Moms. Their mother declined to release their names.
The video, which by December 2015 has more than 39 million views on YouTube, was shot in 2013 at the maternity clinic where Rochel works.
In an interview posted online last year, Rochel – a grandmother of six -- said she came up with the unique bathing method after taking a shower and realizing it felt great to have the water running on her face. So she decided to try the technique with the newborns and noticed it made them move, just as they do in the womb. She believes babies need to still have a recollection of their life before birth.
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Rochel has bathed twins together once or twice before and said she was not surprised by the infants’ reaction in the video. The babies’ amazing response to the water is always beautiful to see, she added.
The Thalasso Bath is only for babies younger than two months old and Rochel cautioned that parents should not try to duplicate it at home.
Annabel Roberts is a correspondent for NBC News, London